Now And Forever
by MewPainappuru
Summary: Sequel to Steal Your Heart. Kisshu and the Mews are on a mission to figure out who has been attacking Earth, but it could uproot some bits of the past that Kisshu was hoping he would never have to face again.
1. Chapter 1

**_It's finally here! The first chapter of the sequel to Steal Your Heart! I'm going to admit, I was really considering not making a second story, but you guys really changed my mind. I want to thank you all so much for all of your support! I really hope you enjoy this story just as much as you enjoyed the first one. A huge thank you to Nilla Mew Mew, Hope Diamond, princessmiddleast, TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose, and KawaiiKoneko. You guys are the best and your reviews mean so much to me! Now... On with the story you have been waiting for!_**

**_Disclaimer: Tokyo Mew Mew does not belong to me. All characters, minus a few OCs, belong to their respective owners :)_**

One

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The longer the alarm clock went on, the louder the beeping noise became. It finally became unbearable, and the older of the two boys in the room pulled himself out of bed. He shuffled over to the dresser where the clock sat, screaming at them to wake up, and he shut it off. Then he lumbered over to the second bed in the room and placed his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. Gently, he began shaking the boy, trying to wake him up.

"Tart… Hey Tart… It's time to wake up." However, the small boy didn't stir. "Wake up you brat!" The older boy yelled, grabbing the kid by his arms and dragging him out of the bed. "Let's go! It's time for school!"

The smaller boy, Taruto, whimpered as he rubbed at his sore arms. "Aw… But Kish, I don't want to go to school. It's too early! Can't I just skip school today?" Taruto rubbed his sleep-heavy, amber eyes and looked up at the older boy. "Please…?"

"No," the green haired teen, Kisshu replied. "You can't afford to miss much school and you know it. So, unless you're dying, you're going to school. Now hurry up and get ready." Kisshu walked slowly to the bathroom and winced when he flipped on the light, which painfully pierced his eyes before he was ready. Mumbling a few swear words under his breath, he moved in front of the mirror and picked up the hairbrush that rested on the sink. He swiftly ran the brush through his dark green hair until it laid flat. Then he wrapped two sections of hair in the front of his head in brown bands.

He left the bathroom and walked back into the bedroom he shared with Taruto. The younger boy quickly ran out of the room and headed towards the bathroom. As he rushed past, he slammed into Kisshu's side. Normally, Kisshu would have scolded the boy, but he was much too tired to do anything but continue into the room and to his dresser. "Thank goodness it's finally Friday," he muttered as he pulled a crisp, white dress shirt out of one of the drawers. He groaned as he put on the stiff shirt and then reached into another drawer and removed a pair of navy blue pants.

Finally dressed in his school uniform, Kisshu glanced at the clock to see how much time he and Taruto still had before they had to leave. "Tart!" he called in the direction of the bathroom. "We have half an hour before we have to meet up with everyone. What's taking you so long?" Kisshu rifled through Taruto's drawers until he found the younger boy's uniform.

Taruto trudged out of the bathroom, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I don't like school," he grumbled. He took the clothes from Kisshu's hands with a mumbled thank you and began to get dressed. After he got his uniform on, he quickly ran a brush through his tangled brown hair and then pulled it up into two pony tails on top of his head. "Alright, I'm ready," he said. He grabbed his cherry red backpack off the desk the two of them shared and then handed Kisshu his larger, black one. The boys slipped on their shoes and walked out the door of their third floor apartment home.

The boys had plans to meet with their friends outside of the park they all passed on their way to school. Kisshu was trying walk briskly so that he wouldn't be late, but Tart was still sluggishly plodding behind him. Kisshu sighed. They were never going to get there in time if the small boy didn't walk a little faster. Kisshu was half tempted to reach down and grab Taruto's hand so that he could drag the boy along, but he didn't want to cause a fight, so he bit his lip to hold back an angry remark and just kept walking. When they finally reached the park, five other people were already standing there, waiting.

The first person was a boy with dark hair who was wearing the same uniform as Kisshu. He was holding a briefcase-styled book bag and staring at his watch. Kisshu was instantly filled with disdain for his fourteen year old classmate, but he managed to keep his feelings under control. Beside him was a girl with dark green hair pulled into braids and large, round glasses in front of her blue eyes. The girl was in a crouching position, making her face to face with the younger girl beside her. The ten year old, blonde child was being scolded for running around and dirtying her school uniform, however, she didn't appear to be listening. The fourth member of the group was a short, seventeen year old girl with light brown hair. She was laughing about something with another girl her age with jet black hair and glasses. Kisshu waved as he approached the group of friends. Everyone looked up and smiled at the newcomers. The small, blonde girl squealed with delight and ran over to Taruto, throwing her arms around him.

"Oh Taru-Taru!" Pudding cried out. "It's so good to see you! How are you this morning?" She beamed at her friend, who was developing a deep blush and was too tired to push her off of him.

"Good morning Kisshu!" Yuki Tora and Kinezumi said cheerfully as he approached them.

"Morning," Kisshu replied. He turned to Lettuce and Masaya. "Good morning Lettuce. Masaya."

Lettuce wished him a good morning and Masaya simply replied with a nod. "Where are the others?" Kisshu asked.

"Ichigo's running late, of course," Lettuce said with a giggle.

"So is Painappuru," Kinezumi added, rolling her eyes, but smiling anyway.

"Hey!" a voice from behind them rang out. "I'm here! I'm here!" They all turned to see Painappuru joining them. She was slightly out of breath, having run from her house, and began to smooth her long blonde hair. She smiled at her friends, her grin widening when her eyes landed on Kisshu. "Hey…" she said in a shy, sweet voice.

"Come here," he laughed, pulling her into a hug. Right before he let her go, he planted a small kiss on her lips and stroked her rosy cheek. "Good morning," he whispered, his breath tickling her skin.

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" Ichigo said loudly, making Painappuru jump and snap out of the trance she had seemed to have fallen into while staring into Kisshu's eyes. Ichigo received a kiss on the cheek from Masaya and a round of hellos from her friends. "Are we all ready to head over to school?" the red-head asked. Taruto groaned, but the rest of her friends nodded their heads. The group began walking away from the park and towards the school. Just as they were approaching the elementary school to drop off Taruto and Pudding, the air filled with screams. The group froze in their tracks and quickly looked around, trying to figure out what was going on and where the commotion was coming from.

"That sounded like it came from behind the school!" Masaya said, turning to Ichigo, concern filling his eyes.

"Let's go check it out!" Ichigo said, looking at her friends, who all nodded in agreement.

They rushed to the back of the school where, sure enough, children, parents, and faculty were all running around and shouting in terror. Kinezumi screeched as well, for amongst the screaming people was a giant bee and a giant spider. She rushed away from her friends, taking shelter behind a large tree.

"What's wrong with her?" Taruto asked, staring at her hiding spot.

Painappuru looked at Yuki Tora and back at the strange monsters that were wreaking havoc on the elementary school. "It's the spider," she said with a shudder. "Kinezumi is terrified of them."

"Well, she's going to have to get over it. These people need our help!" Ichigo said. She removed her Mew pendant from her pocket and brought it to her lips. "Mew Mew Strawberry… Metamorphosis!"

As much as they sympathized for Kinezumi about her fear, Yuki Tora and Painappuru knew that Ichigo was right. They were going to have to convince Kinezumi to fight with them.

"Mew Mew Painappuru… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Yuki Tora… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Pudding… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce… Metamorphosis!"

In flashes of pink, orange, silver, yellow, and green lights, the girls transformed into their super heroin forms. Ichigo's black ears twitched with irritation towards the creatures. Yuki Tora and Painappuru ran over to the tree where Kinezumi was hiding while Ichigo went over a plan with the others on how they could get rid of the creatures.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Nilla Mew Mew, I'm so happy you're so excited for this story! I'm just as excited to write it as I believe you are to read it! I think Kisshu will always have a bit of resentment towards Aoyama. There is just so much negativity between them. KawaiiKoneko, I'm glad you're excited too! This is all so flattering! :3 Thank you so much for the suggestion! I'll certainly try and incorporate it into my story. princessmiddleast, thank you so much! :)_**

Two

"Kinezumi?" Painappuru said in a sweet, concerned voice as she and Yuki Tora stood in front of her. "Are you alright?" Kinezumi was sitting with her back against the tree, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook with soft sobs. Painappuru and Yuki Tora looked at each other sadly before kneeling down in front of their friend.

"I can't… I can't do it guys," Kinezumi whimpered. "I'm sorry, but I just can't fight them. I can barely handle a normal sized spider, but that one… It's huge! It's so freaking big! I just can't…"

Painappuru sighed, knowing that Ichigo was not going to be pleased if they came back without Kinezumi. However, she couldn't bear to see her best friend in such a state. It wasn't fair to make her fight something she was so traumatized by.

"What if you fight the bee?" Yuki Tora suggested. "Then you won't have to be near the spider."

Kinezumi shook her head franticly and looked up at her friends. Tears shone in her ice blue eyes. "No… I'm sorry, guys. I know you're trying to help, but I really don't think I can do it."

Painappuru nodded. "It's alright. We understand. And Ichigo might fuss about it at first, but she'll get over it. Don't worry Kinezumi. You just stay here and relax, alright? We'll take care of this." She and Yuki Tora hugged Kinezumi and then rushed back to their teammates.

"Where's Kinezumi?" Ichigo asked, glancing back at the tree.

Painappuru was just about to respond when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something flying towards her. She jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting stung by the enormous bee's needle-like stinger. She lost her footing as she landed and rolled across the hard ground and stopped with a pain-filled grunt.

"Painappuru!" Kisshu yelled, seeing her fall. He summoned his dragon swords and flew up into the air, going after the bee.

Painappuru pushed herself up off the ground and looked around and subpoenaed her own weapon. Her pan flute appeared in her hand. "Ribbon Painappuru Song!" she yelled before bringing the instrument to her lips. She directed the music towards the bee and a bright orange glow surrounded her. Above her, the bee started twitching and seemed to have a hard time flying. Suddenly, Painappuru felt something wrap around her waist and she was pulled backwards and into the air, making her drop her flute. "No!" she cried out, pulling at the tough material that had wrapped itself around her. She looked over her shoulder and saw that it was coming from the spider's mouth and she was being dragged towards the monster's pincers.

_Damn it…_ she thought to herself. _Why is it always me? _

She struggled against the spider, but wasn't strong enough to break its hold.

"Ribbon Kinezumi Smash!"

Painappuru felt the grip on her disappear and she began to fall towards the ground. However, right before she hit, a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. She looked up at her savior and smiled when she saw Kisshu looking down at her. "Thank you," she said as he gently placed her on the ground.

"Don't thank me," he said seriously, pointing behind her with one of his swords. Painappuru spun around and gasped as she saw Kinezumi charging at the spider, mace in hand.

The teen jumped into the air and cried out again, "Ribbon Kinezumi Smash!" Her mace glowed with a blue-black light and slammed into the spider's abdomen. She landed perfectly and then turned and ran toward Painappuru. "Are you alright?" she asked, throwing her arms around her friend and pulling her into a hug.

"I… I'm fine," Painappuru replied. She was concerned, however, for she could feel Kinezumi trembling. "Are you alright? I know that must have been terrifying for you."

Kinezumi looked up at Painappuru and gave her a weak smile. "It was… but I think I'm alright." Her bushy, black squirrel tail twitched nervously. "Come on, let's finish this!" Painappuru nodded eagerly and the two girls joined their teammates in the brawl.

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!" Lettuce cried out, clapping her castanets and pointing them skyward, towards the bee, which was charging at Kisshu, trying to stab him with its giant stinger. The surge of water shot upwards quickly, but was not fast enough to do more than just brush the side of the bee.

"Damn! These monsters are strong," Yuki Tora panted as she dodge yet another web attack from the spider.

"Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!" The blonde haired monkey-girl cried out. The spider was incased in a large pudding dessert, leaving it immobilized. "There you go Mew Yuki Tora! Now you can hit it!"

Yuki Tora nodded and unsheathed her sword. She got a running start, racing towards the spider. She then jabbed the sword into the side of the spider and yelled "Ribbon Yuki Tora Strike!" The beast staggered, almost at its limit. Yuki Tora wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead and prepared herself to attack, but was stopped when a flash of purple appeared before her eyes.

"Ribbon ZaCross Pure!" The spider gave one last jerk and then fell to the ground with a crash before it exploded into a pile of sparkly dust. Zakuro landed smoothly next the pile and smiled at her teammates.

"Mew Zakuro!" Lettuce cried out, excited to see her older friend. "How did you know we were here?"

"Masha alerted me and then rushed off to find Mint. She should be here to help soon as well."

As if to prove Zakuro right, Mint's voice crying out, "Ribbon Minto Echo!" A blue arrow soared through the air and pierced the bee through one of its wings. The insect buzzed angrily, but because of its injured wing, it was unable to fly and attack. It feel to the ground, not yet dead, but undoubtedly useless.

Ichigo approached the bee, summoning her Strawberry Bell as she walked. "Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!" She aimed her attack at the dying creature and then watched it erupt into dust as well. "Well, that was certainly an interesting way to start our morning," she said a bit more cheerfully.

Kisshu dropped to one knee in front of the pile of dust and scooped some of it up into his hands. Bringing the powder close to his face, he examined it. "Did the creatures you've been fighting recently always turn into this substance after they were defeated?" he asked the group.

"Yeah, every time," Ichigo said with a nod. "Is something wrong?"

"I've seen this before…" Kisshu replied grimly. "I saw it when I was working for Deep Blue. I just… I can't remember who was in charge of this particular species of Chimera Anima…" He blew on the chalky matter, sending in flying into the air where it sparkled in the sunlight. He stood up again and brushed his hands off on his pants. "I wish I could remember. It's on the tip of my tongue."

Painappuru put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's alright Kisshu. Don't strain yourself. You'll remember eventually."

"Right," Lettuce agreed. "And besides, even if you can't remember exactly who it is, we at least know that it is someone from your planet. That's a good start."

The others nodded in agreement, but Kisshu sighed dejectedly. "I suppose…" He rubbed his temples. "I can almost picture her though… She's so familiar, but her name escapes me."

"She?" Mint asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kisshu nodded. "Yeah, she was part of Deep Blue's team, but she obviously wasn't part of the group Tart and I were involved with. She was more of a… backstage sort of person, if you understand what I'm getting at. She did a lot of research and worked on ways to make the Chimera Animas stronger. But what was her name?"

"Kohi."

"Huh?" Kisshu's head snapped up at the sound of the voice. He franticly looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from. "Kohi…" he repeated in a soft voice. "Her name was Kohi…"

"Did you miss me, Kisshu darling?"

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_KiratheShadowWolf, Thank you so much! Nilla Mew Mew, Hahahaha, I'm sorry to hear about your abundance of fainting spells! Although, I'm going to agree that Nira throwing the bucket at you was unnecessary. Maybe you should throw a bucket at her? But anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying this! Try not to faint after reading this chapter too! :D _**

****Three

A tall, beautiful woman stepped out from behind the school building. She had coffee colored hair that hung down to her waist. A small section of her hair was braided while the rest of it hung down. Her deep maroon eyes shimmered and never left Kisshu's. She walked gracefully towards them and stopped when she was right in front of Kisshu. She smiled and tucked her hair behind one of her long, pointed ears.

"Kohi…" Kisshu said again, as if he couldn't believe she was standing right in front of him.

"Hello, my love," she said in a soft voice. She took a few steps closer to him and then, before anyone could react, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

Everyone gasped and Painappuru's face turned bright red. She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes, but she willed herself not to overreact just yet. In order to keep herself from exploding, she grabbed one of Kinezumi's hands and squeezed as hard as she could.

"Hey!" Pudding cried out. "That's Painappuru's boyfriend!"

Kohi stepped away from Kisshu and smiled at him before turning to the little blonde girl. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "I don't know who Painappuru is and-"

"That's Painappuru!" Pudding clarified, pointing at the teen.

Kohi refocused her attention on Painappuru and raised an eyebrow. "Her?" She moved closer to Painappuru and looked her up and down. "You think _she's_ Kisshu's girlfriend?" she asked, amusement in her voice. "That can't be. Kisshu can do so much better than _that_." She flicked one of Painappuru's little goat ears, making the Mew Mew whimper.

"What?" Kinezumi roared, furious that Kohi had the audacity to say such a thing about her best friend. Painappuru, on the other hand, just blushed even more and tried to hide behind her group of friends. "Are you looking for a fight?"

"Kisshu! Say something!" Yuki Tora said, angry with the alien for not sticking up for his girlfriend.

Kisshu shook his head as if to shake away the trance he seemed to be caught up in. "They're right, Kohi," he said, walking over to Painappuru and putting an arm around her. "Painappuru _is_ my girlfriend. And I love her very much."

Kohi furrowed her eyebrows at sighed. "Well, you really downgraded then, didn't you? How did you go from having someone like me to someone like her?"

"That's enough, Kohi," Kisshu said sternly, no longing allowing the other alien to speak badly of Painappuru.

"What does she mean?" Ichigo asked. "Did you and Kohi used to date, Kisshu?" Kisshu didn't answer and turned his head, looking away from his group of friends.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about, Kisshu," Kohi purred. "I'm not afraid to tell them."

"Don't you say a word!" Taruto yelled at the older woman.

"Oh, well hello there Tart. I didn't even notice you down there. You still haven't grown much have you? Pity… And you still have the features of a young girl. What a shame. Hopefully you'll grow into your looks soon."

"You bitch!" Taruto spat. "How dare you!" He was going to continue yelling at her, but Pudding took his hand and squeezed it, silently telling him to calm down. Taruto bit his tongue and looked away from Kohi.

Kohi giggled. "I see your manners haven't improved much either. It must be from spending too much time from this Earth trash. But don't worry; I'm here to free you of that problem."

"What are you talking about Kohi?" Kisshu demanded, getting fed up with her.

Kohi shrugged her small shoulders and smiled. "You said that girl is your girlfriend, right Kish?" When the alien teen nodded, she continued. "Well, then it's obvious that her and her nasty little group of friends brain-washed you and made you forget who you are and what you are meant to do. I, however, will enlighten you and reopen your mind to your destiny, Kisshu. You too, Taruto. Fear not, my friends. I'm here to help!"

Kisshu shook his head. "Tart and I are not brain-washed. We're happy here. We have no further business with those from back home. So, you might as well just go back now and leave us alone."

Kohi shook her head sadly. "My poor, sweet Kisshu. Look at what they've done to you…" She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "Perhaps, this will help you remember where you really belong." And with that, she pressed her lips to his.

"That's enough!" Painappuru roared. She shoved Kohi away from Kisshu, knocking her to the ground. Kohi landed with an "oof!" and glared at Painappuru, her cheeks burning from humiliation. "Stay away from my boyfriend!" Painappuru shouted.

"You… you bitch!" Kohi yelled. "How dare you knock me to the ground! You have no idea who you're messing with!" She pushed herself of the ground and brushed the dirt off her outfit. "As for staying away from your _boyfriend_, maybe you should stay away from my _fiancé!_"

Painappuru looked like she had just gotten slapped in the face. "W…What…?"

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Nilla Mew Mew, No need to faint! Here's the next chapter! Hopefully this one won't be as traumatic for you... Shadow Raccoon and Shadow Wolf, Thank you so much! It really means a lot to hear that I've changed your view on Kish X OC stories. Hopefully, I will continue to please :) KawaiiKoneko, Thank you! Enjoy your candy! Hahaha :)_**

Four

Painappuru pushed Kisshu away from her, hurt and betrayal apparent in her every feature. Tears welled up in her eyes and she rushed over to Yuki Tora and Kinezumi. Her friends wrapped their arms around her, all while glaring at Kisshu and Kohi.

Kohi moved closer to Kisshu and tried to put her arm around him, but he shoved her away. Kohi pouted. "Aw… What's the matter Kish? Don't tell me you forgot… We were betrothed when we were both working for Deep Blue. _You_ proposed to _me_. Don't you remember?"

Kisshu shook his head furiously. "No… I broke the marriage off. Don't _you_ remember? I told you that I didn't want anything to do with you anymore."

"No… Kisshu, you never did such a thing. Don't lie in order to redeem yourself in front of your little human _toy_. You and I both know that we are meant to be wed and it _will_ happen."

"You need to back off, Kohi," Taruto stepped in. "Kisshu has left his old life behind. We're both happy here on Earth and we have no intention of returning to the way things used to be."

Kohi narrowed her eyes at the younger alien. "I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand. You're still just a child. These humans have had a huge influence over your life because you are so easily manipulated. You've always been that way." She turned back to Kisshu. "But _you_ have not. You're very smart, Kish, so I don't understand how these pathetic beings managed to mess up your head, but I assure you that I will bring you back to me."

"Stop!" Painappuru screamed, unable to listen to Kohi any longer. She summoned her pan flute and then cried, "Ribbon Painappuru Song!" Bringing the flute to her lips, she played a melancholic tune. All of the confusion and racing emotions that she was feeling were reflected through her music.

Kohi covered her ears and winced. "What are you doing? Stop playing that terrible music this instant!" When Painappuru didn't listen to her, Kohi stomped her foot as if she were a child and growled, baring sharp teeth, much like Kisshu's. And suddenly, Tekagi-shuko weapons appeared on her hands. The Tekagi-shuko consisted of two metal bands around Kohi's palms and wrists, which were connected by a strip of leather. Extending from the topmost band were four sharp blades that resembled claws. "When I tell you to stop, then I expect you to stop!" Kohi yelled.

She rushed toward Painappuru, reaching the Tekagi-shuko on her right hand out. The weapon knocked the flute out of Painappuru's hands, the blade scratching Painappuru's cheek in the process. Painappuru cried out in pain and fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. The Mew Mew Team crowded around her to make sure she was alright, but the teen was unable to respond through her tears. Kohi, realizing what she had done, backed away from the group.

"I guess this is my cue to leave," she said. "But I assure you that this is not the last time you will hear from me. Trust me. I will be back. And I will make Kisshu remember his love for me." She winked in Kisshu's direction. "Don't worry love. We'll be together again soon and we'll be married, just like you wanted."

Kisshu said nothing as he watched her disappear. When she was gone, he turned his attention to Painappuru, who was being helped to her feet by Kinezumi. Everyone had already transformed back to their normal selves. Lettuce was saying something about taking her to the nurse as soon as they got to school so that the wound could be treated. "Painappuru, are you alright?" Kisshu asked, reaching a hand out to her.

"Get away from me!" Painappuru screamed through her tears. "Just… Just stay away from me!"

Kisshu's arm fell limply against his side and he felt his blood run cold at the sound of her words. Painappuru had never spoken to him in such a way. They had never even fought before and Kisshu wasn't sure how to handle it. He knew that she must be confused, but he just wanted to help her and make sure that she wasn't hurt too badly. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. He couldn't even look at her. The anger and betrayal in her eyes was too much.

"Come on Painappuru," Kinezumi said. "We need to get you to the school so the nurse can make sure you're alright."

Painappuru nodded and turned to Pudding and Taruto. "Have a good day at school you two…" she said in a small voice and offered the children a weak smile.

Pudding's eyes welled up with tears and she hugged Painappuru's middle. "Feel better soon!" she cried. Then she let the older girl go and returned to Taruto's side, taking his hand for comfort. The two of them ran into the entrance of the school and headed off to their classrooms.

Mint and Zakuro both hugged Painappuru and wished her well before they set off in different directions as well, for they both went to different schools from everyone else. The remaining friends began making their way to their own school. The mood was thick with tension. Ichigo clung to Masaya's arm as they walked. Masaya and Lettuce were speaking of the homework that they both had been assigned the previous day. Painappuru was being consoled by Yuki Tora and Kinezumi at the head of the group. And at the back, walking alone and not speaking a word was Kisshu.

His stomach felt tight with sadness and regret. He felt terrible for what happened to Painappuru and it broke his heart that she was in so much pain. But he didn't know what to do. He hadn't intended on ever seeing Kohi again. In fact, he had completely forgotten about her since meeting Painappuru. Now, Painappuru felt used and betrayed. She had been hurt because of his carelessness and his terrible past. He felt tears forming in his eyes, but he bit his lip to keep them from falling. He refused to cry in front of everyone.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Nilla Mew Mew, Aw... Don't cry! Here! Punch Kohi and feel better! *hands Kohi to you* :3 MistressRiruko/KawaiiKoneko, Thank you very much for the kind words and the cookie! :D _**

Five

Kisshu was unable to pay attention at all during class. His mind was too heavy with thoughts of Painappuru. He hadn't heard from anyone about whether or not she was alright, and he was filled with worry. When the bell rang for lunch, Kisshu grabbed his bag and quietly left the classroom. He made his way to Painappuru's class, and waited for her to appear. But after the last kid walked out of the room and Painappuru was still nowhere to be seen, Kisshu's concern amplified. He usually met Painappuru outside of her classroom so they could eat lunch together. He looked up and down the halls for her, but was still unable to find her. He stopped by the nurse's office, but the nurse explained that Painappuru had left over an hour ago.

Kisshu went outside and sat under the large tree that he and Painappuru always ate lunch at. After several minutes without any sign of his girlfriend, Kisshu pulled out the cellphone he had bought about a month ago with the money he earned from his new job. He scrolled down his contacts until he found Painappuru's name.

"Hey, it's Painappuru! I can't get to the phone right now, but leave your name and number, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!"

"Dammit…" Kisshu muttered, ending the call and selecting another contact.

"You've reached Kinezumi! Except not really because this is my voicemail. Anyway, leave a message and I'll get back to you whenever I can."

Kisshu groaned and selected a third number, hoping that this time, someone would answer him and tell him where Painappuru was.

"Hey, it's Yuki Tora. Please leave a message."

Kisshu sighed and hung up the phone again and set it down in the grass beside him. He leaned back against the tree and rubbed his temples. He contemplated whether or not he should call Ichigo, but he wasn't in the mood to get another voicemail message. On the other hand, the fact that no one was answering their phones made him believe that Painappuru was with her friends, being comforted.

"Isn't that Kisshu? Why is he alone?"

Kisshu looked up and noticed two girls standing a short distance from him. He didn't know either of them, but he assumed that they were in his class since they knew who he was.

"He's usually with some girl. Isn't her name Painappuru?" one of the girls asked her friend.

"I think so," the other girl said. "Those two are usually inseparable outside of class. It's so strange to see him without her."

"I wonder if they broke up or something…" The two girls walked away, continuing on with their gossip.

Kisshu's heart deflated as he thought about what they had said. Were him and Painappuru broken up? She hadn't exactly said that they were over. She had just told him to stay away from her, but Kisshu had assumed that it was just because she was upset. Surely she hadn't meant that she never wanted to see him again… Kisshu could feel tears prickle at the thought of Painappuru never being a part of his life again and his chest constricted with pain. He couldn't imagine losing her. She meant so much to him…

"Kisshu? Do you mind if I join you for lunch?"

Kisshu's head snapped up and he saw Ichigo standing in front of him. She had a sweet smile on her face, and a little warmness returned to Kisshu's heart. He loved that Ichigo was able to forgive him for the way he had treated her before, and now the two of them were good friends. Although him and Masaya still didn't get along very well, any kind exchange between the two of them was almost always faked. However, Ichigo was so sincere and caring to him.

Ichigo sat down beside him and opened her lunch. "Masaya has to meet with the kendo club today, so we weren't able to have lunch together. I hope you don't mind me sitting with you."

"Of course not, kitten," Kisshu said, using his old nickname for her.

Ichigo blushed, memories of when Kisshu would follow her around and tease her with that name. He had been such a different person then. She was happy to see the change he had made in himself. Painappuru had been a wonderful part of his life, changing him for the better. That's why the current situation with Kohi bothered Ichigo so much. She didn't want to see the amazing relationship that Painappuru and Kisshu had built be torn apart. She was almost afraid to see what kind of person Kisshu would become if he lost Painappuru.

"What are you thinking about?" Kisshu asked as he stole the small orange out of Ichigo's lunch bag and began peeling it.

Ichigo shook her head with mock disappointment at his theft, but giggled all the same. "Nothing really," she lied. "I guess I'm just spacing out a bit."

Kisshu split the orange into several sections and popped one into his mouth. "Don't lie to me," he said, wiping juice off of his mouth. "I can tell that you're thinking about something important. You know you can tell me anything. What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

Ichigo blushed again and turned away from Kisshu so that he wouldn't notice. "You have a girlfriend," she said quietly. "Is it really right for you to flirt with me like that?"

Kisshu's face fell. "I suppose you're right…" he said, his voice dripping with defeat. "_If_ I still have a girlfriend, I suppose she would be a bit upset, given our current situation…"

"If?" Ichigo repeated, looking at him once again. "What do you mean by 'if'?" She picked up her sandwich and took a bite and waited for Kisshu's response. When he didn't answer her, she poked his shoulder. "Are you and Painappuru broken up, Kish?"

Kisshu sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't seen her yet today… And I know she's really upset with me, but she never said specifically that we were broken up. But I don't know…" Kisshu wished desperately that Ichigo would change the subject. He wasn't in the mood to have this conversation.

"I'm sure everything will work out," Ichigo said comfortingly. "Painappuru is not an unreasonable person. If you just explain things to her-"

"I tried!" Kisshu exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "She doesn't want to listen to me."

"That was a bit too soon to talk," Ichigo rationalized. "She was really scared and in pain at the time. She wasn't exactly in the mood to talk. However, I'm sure if you try later today, then she might be a little more willing to talk and listen. Like I said, she's not unreasonable. And I know how much you mean to her. She doesn't want to lose you just as much as you don't want to lose her. You two can work this out, I just know it."

Kisshu shoved another slice of orange into his mouth and looked down at the ground. He glanced at his phone, willing it to announce a call or message from Painappuru, but it remained silent. "I suppose…" was all he could manage to say.

"Just trust me," Ichigo said with a smile. "Everything will be alright." She gave him a hug and then returned to her lunch. The two of them ate without saying another word. When the bell rang again, signaling that class was about to resume, the friends said good-bye, hugged once more, and then went their separate ways.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Nilla Mew Mew, He certainly needed that confidence boost! And it's nice to see Ichigo and Kisshu as good friends. And Kohi will always be here if you need something to hit and get your frustration out! :) MistressRiruko, Thank you! I really like the thought of Kisshu and Ichigo as friends as well. It's cute! princessmiddleast, Hi there! I kind of missed your reviews! Welcome back! It's nice to see that you haven't lost interest in this story. Hope you continue to enjoy!_**

Six

_Despite the lies that you're making,_

_ Your love is mine for the taking,_

_ My love is just waiting to turn your tears into roses…_

Painappuru turned down the music she was playing when she heard a gentle tapping on her bedroom door. "Come in!" she called, turning to see who was knocking for her.

"Painappuru, you have company," her mother said with a smile. She stepped aside to reveal Kisshu.

"Hey," Kisshu said sheepishly, as Painappuru's face turned bright red. He entered the room and stood beside her bed, where she was sitting with her laptop.

"I'll leave you two alone," Painappuru's mother said. "Let me know if you need anything." With that, she shut the door, leaving Painappuru and Kisshu in awkward silence except for the music that was playing quietly.

_ No! _

_You'll never be alone,_

_When darkness comes, I'll light the night with stars,_

_Hear the whispers in the dark…_

"Painappuru…" Kisshu finally spoke up, unable to handle their silence any longer. "Painappuru, we need to talk…"

Painappuru just turned her head away from Kisshu. She hated that she was treating him so coldly, but she had been hurt terribly, both physically and mentally. As she thought about it, she absently touched her cheek, which was now bandaged so that it could heal. She had told her mother that she had fallen while rough-housing before school and fallen on glass from a broken bottle. Her mother certainly wasn't happy about it, but she believed the story and scolded Painappuru, telling her to be more careful.

Noticing her gesture, Kisshu asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Not too much anymore," Painappuru replied, nervously twirling her hair. "The nurse put something on it that stopped the pain. It's not as bad as we thought it was anyway. It's just a cut."

"I…I'm really sorry you got hurt…" Kisshu said awkwardly, but sincerely. He wished desperately that the tension between them would disappear. Painappuru was his best friend, his love, and his life. He hated that they were no longer comfortable with each other. He couldn't stand her being upset with him.

"This cut on my face is nothing compared to the gash in my heart," Painappuru replied bitterly. She too hated the fact that she and Kisshu weren't on good terms, but she felt betrayed and she was too hurt at the moment to pretend that everything was alright. Painappuru was the kind of person to hold a grudge and her situation with Kisshu was no exception to that.

Painappuru's words were like a slap in the face for Kisshu. He could feel his temper rising, but he clenched his hands into fists to keep himself from lashing out on her. "I know…" he replied, trying to keep his voice calm and steady. "And all I can really do is say I'm sorry and offer you an explanation. Please, can't I tell you _my_ side of the story?"

Painappuru looked into his amber eyes and sighed. "You might as well," she said. "I'm sure you wouldn't have left even if I said no…" She pointed to the other side of the room. "You can pull up that chair."

But Kisshu ignored her. Instead, he hopped up onto her bed and faced her. He stared into her green-blue eyes and reached for her hands. "Painappuru… I won't deny that there was once something going on between me and Kohi, otherwise, I'd be lying to you." Painappuru couldn't bring herself to look at Kisshu once he mentioned her name. She turned her gaze to his hands on top of hers instead. "However, I _swear_ to you, that I broke off our relationship before I met you. Yes, we were engaged. We had met when we were both recruited by Deep Blue and she followed me around like a lovesick puppy. I was drunk off of her affection and so I asked her to marry me. But, then I met Ichigo."

Painappuru couldn't help but flinch when he said Ichigo's name. Kisshu had told her about his infatuation that he had once had with Ichigo. And even though he promised that he was over it, it still pained her to hear about it.

"I was so sure that I was in love with Ichigo and that I was going to be able to convince her to return home with me, that I lost interest in Kohi. Eventually, I told Kohi that I was in love with someone else and I broke off the engagement. We didn't speak to each other again after that. In fact, I barely ever saw her after that. But it was for the best. And now, well, now I'm in love with you Painappuru. I'm in love for real, and I don't want Kohi's jealousy to come between that love."

Tears welled up in Painappuru's eyes, which only made her want to avoid his gaze even more. She didn't want to show him how much she was hurting, though she was sure he could already tell. His hold on her small hands tightened.

"Painappuru… Please say something… Please tell me that you understand and that everything will be ok… Please tell me that you still love me…" Kisshu begged, on the verge of tears.

"I…I _do_ still love you, Kish," Painappuru replied. "I love you very much. But I can't…. I can't do this right now. This is a lot to take in and I can't exactly… handle it right now." She couldn't hold the tears back any longer, and they began to race down her rosy cheeks. They slipped off her face and landed on the tops of Kisshu's hands.

"Painappuru…" he said in a soft voice, trying to soothe her, but it was futile.

Her shoulders began to shake violently with her sobs and she pulled her hands out of his hold. "I can't do this right now, Kish. I'm too scared of being hurt further. I'm sorry…"

Kisshu gasped, knowing exactly how this conversation was going to end. Tears welled up in his eyes as well. "Painappuru… Please!"

"We… We need to take a break from each other Kisshu. I really think it would be for the best right now. Perhaps we should… We should just be friends until we get this sorted out, alright?" She looked up at him with sorrowful eyes.

"No!" he shouted. "No, it's not alright! I _love_ you Painappuru! I'm not letting you go!"

Painappuru shook her head. "I love you too, Kish. And that's why I think that we need to do this…" She took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. "Now… If you don't mind… Could you please leave? I really need to be alone right now…"

Kisshu bowed his head sadly and mumbled something Painappuru couldn't quite hear. Then, before she could ask him to repeat himself, he disappeared, transporting himself back to his apartment.

In her lonely room, Painappuru's music suddenly seemed a lot louder. The song had long since changed and the lyrics that played, just as Kisshu left, hit Painappuru like punch in the stomach.

_And if I could hold on,_

_ Through the tears and the laughter,_

_ Would it be beautiful?_

_ Or just a beautiful disaster…?_

_**For the record, the first song used is "Whispers in the Dark" by Skillet and the second is "Beautiful Disaster" by Kelly Clarkson. Just want to get the disclaimer for those out of the way. I don't own them blah blah. Anyway though... **_

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**MistressRiruko, That last chapter was actually really difficult for me to write because I couldn't imagine Painappuru without Kisshu! I almost didn't write it! But, now that I think about it, I'm kind of glad I did. Nilla Mew Mew, I'm starting to worry that this story is going to make you lose your mind! Here! Have a cookie and calmly read this lovely little chapter :) princessmiddleast, So much sadness! I'm going to have to write a happier chapter soon to make up for all of this! While we wait for that, though, enjoy this chapter!**_

Seven

"Those wretched Mew Mews have completely turned Kish against me!" Kohi whined as she rubbed several bruises that were starting to form all over her body. "How could this happen? Our love… It's supposed to last forever! What do I do, Lady Suika?" The young woman turned to her best friend, who had been patiently listening to her cry for over an hour.

"Well, if the humans really did brainwash him, like you say they did," Suika said in her sugary voice, "all you really have to do is make him remember somehow… You've got to do something that will bring all of his memories back without a doubt. Maybe you need to separate him from the human girl that he believes he is in love with. That could possibly be your first step."

"You're a genious, Lady Suika!" Kohi cried, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "I've just got to get him away from that ugly human girl, and everything will be alright again! It's so simple; I can't believe _I _didn't think of it!" Kohi spun around joyfully and stopped when she was facing her second companion. "Can you believe that the solution was so simple, Pai?"

Pai glared at the girl and scoffed. "I do not care in least about your trivial relationship problems. They are of no concern to me. As long as the Mew Mews are eliminated, I do not care what you do to Kisshu. He is a traitor anyway. Perhaps the more convenient resolution would be to simply kill Kisshu as well."

Kohi gasped dramatically and stumbled backwards as if Pai's words had struck her across the face. "How could you say such things?" she exclaimed. "I will never allow you to hurt my love! Kish will return to me, unharmed. I don't care what you do to those humans, but leave Kish out of it!"

Pai rolled his eyes. "I am in no mood to tolerate your theatrics. I suggest you stop that act soon. You will soon learn that Kisshu is not as impeccable as you may seem. There are other, much better choices out there, Kohi."

"There is no one better than Kish!" Kohi argued. "And if you do anything that causes him harm, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life!"

Pai shrugged. "Very well, if that is how you truly feel, then so be it. However, I do not want to be around when you realize what a useless, horrible being he actually. I can only withstand so much of your griping."

Kohi grinned at Pai. "You'll see! Once I get rid of those Mew Mews, Kish will remember our love and we will be happy once again." She turned to her friend. "You'll help me, right Lady Suika?"

"Of course," Suika replied, brushing her light blue bangs out of her face. "You know that I'm always by your side, Kohi. I will do whatever I can to help you."

"Lady Suika, if I may interject," Pai said, standing up from the large chair he had been sitting on.

"What is it, Pai?" Suika asked, cocking her head to the side, which caused her bangs to fall into her face again.

"Would your mother approve of you participating in such exploits?" he inquired as he walked closer to her. "I am almost certain that she would be very dissatisfied if she were to find out what you are doing."

"Oh?" Suika replied, placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow at him. "Well, then I guess we will just have to make sure that she _doesn't _find out, hm?"

"Well, you see, Lady Suika, I would just hate to see something happen to you because you don't have the proper protection that you would have gotten, if you had informed your mother about your plans," Pai responded. He kneeled down in front of Suika and stared into her gray eyes.

"I have no intention of getting my mother involved with this," she said, stubbornly. "It is none of her business. However, if you are really that worried about my well-being, why don't you serve as my protector?" She grinned at him mischievously.

"My lady, it would be a great honor for me to keep you safe from harm. Do you trust me enough to bestow that power upon me?" Pai reached out and took one of Suika's hands, bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the top of it.

"I don't see a reason why I shouldn't," Suika said, blushing at the kiss. "Please, Pai, it would mean a lot to me if you would please guard me while I assist Kohi on her mission to get rid of the Mew Mews and return Kisshu to her."

Pai smirked. "The pleasure will be mine," he said.

"Does he _really_ have to come?" Kohi complained, her shrill voice causing Suika to jump and Pai to roll his eyes. "He's so boring!"

Suika removed her hands from Pai's grasp and turned to her friend. "Pai is right when he says I need protection," she reasoned.

"_I _can protect you though!" Kohi pouted. "I'm a good fighter, you know!"

"I don't doubt your abilities at all," Suika replied, keeping her voice calm even though she was slowly losing patience with her friend's childlike behavior. "But you will have your hands full with fighting the Mew Mews and trying to get Kisshu to come back to you. It is for my best interest that Pai joins us and keeps me safe as well. Please understand, Kohi."

Kohi sighed and twirled her braid around her index finger. "Alright… If you really insist…" She smiled at Suika. "I think I'm going to go take a nap before we make our next plans. I'll see you in a few hours, Lady Suika! Good-bye, Pai." She turned and walked away from the two, heading back to her bedroom.

Suika turned to Pai with an apologetic half-smile on her face. "It's going to be a little difficult traveling with the both of you," she said. "I know that you aren't very fond of each other, but I must ask that you try to get along with her. It's hard enough to handle her on a normal day, but if you anger or upset her, it's going to be Hell for me. So, contain yourself, alright?"

"Anything for you, my lady," Pai replied with a bow.

"You know, there is really no need for you to be so formal with me," Suika said, her smile widening, "especially when we're alone."

Pai chuckled. "Whether we are alone or not, you are still Lady Suika and I am merely your humble guard. I suggest that you get some sleep as well." He leaned in closer to Suika and whispered, "You have a grand adventure in store." With that, he swiftly kissed her cheek, bowed again, and then vanished. Suika assumed that he had returned to his own room until they were to meet again. She placed her hand on her cheek, where his lips had been just seconds ago and her face flushed as she absently wished that they had remained there for just a little longer.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Nilla Mew Mew, HEAVENS TO BETSY! I completely forgot that you had a character named Suika! I'm sorry :P I can change her name if you'd like. By the way... You should update your stories... 0_0 But anyway... Glad you're enjoying and thanks fort reviewing! :) MistressRiruko, Hahaha I'm glad you're so eager to keep reading. Hope you like this chapter!_**

**__**Eight

"So... Have you talked to Kisshu since you told him that you guys needed to take a break?" Kinezumi asked as she, Painappuru, and Yuki Tora were walking to Kinezumi's house from school.

"No..." Painappuru replied in a soft voice. She kept her eyes on the sidewalk so her friends couldn't see the sadness that was overfilling them. "I barely even see him at school too. It's like we're both avoiding each other, which is really quite sad. I mean... I know that I said we needed a break from each other, but I meant we needed a break as a couple. I still want us to be friends..."

"It might be kind of weird though if you guys were still hanging out, don't you think?" Yuki Tora asked. "Think about it. You guys would be out having fun, and in the back of your minds, you'd want to act like a couple. But then your common sense would tell you that you can't because you guys are on a break, so it would be like torture. It's like rubbing what you can't have in your face."

"I guess so..." Painappuru said, twirling her hair around her index finger. "It's just... It's hard. I miss him. And I feel terrible about this whole thing. I kind of wish that I had never told him that we needed a break." She felt tears spring to her eyes. "I just want to tell him how sorry I am."

"I'm sure he understands where you were coming from though," Kinezumi consoled.

"I don't even know where I was coming from," Painappuru said exasperatedly. "I don't know what I want anymore! I want to be with Kisshu because he makes me happy, but this whole business with Kohi is so confusing and it hurts... I just don't know..." Crystal tears rushed down her rosy cheeks. "I just want all this pain to stop..."

"It will," Yuki Tora assured her. "You two will figure everything out. I know you will. You just have to give it time." She offered Painappuru a smile and gave her a tight hug.

"Thank you, Yuki Tora," Painappuru sniffed. "Thank you, Kinezumi. I hate to just rant to you guys and burden you with my problems. So thank you for listening."

"It's what we're here for," Kinezumi said. "Don't ever apologize for needing someone to talk to. We love you and we'll always be here for you."

"That's right," Yuki Tora agreed. "No matter what, you can always come to us."

"I know..." Pinappuru replied, wiping the tears off her face. "That means so much you guys..."

The three of them continued walking in silence. Painappuru tried to clear her mind of all her dismal thoughts, and focused more on the love her friends were giving her. They had almost arrived at Kinezumi's house when they noticed someone lying on the grass. They rushed over to the person to find out who they were and if they were alright.

"Oh my God..." Painappuru said as she realized who was laying there. "Oh my God... Taruto! Taruto, no!" She scooped up the small child into her arms and held him close.

"He's alive, right?" Yuki Tora asked, her eyes large with fear.

"Yeah," Painappuru responded. "He's still alive. But he's unconscious. And look, the top of his head is bleeding. We need to get him somewhere safe."

"My house is closest," Kinezumi said. "Let's go!"

"Not so fast!" a voice rang out from above the girls. Yuki Tora, Kinezumi, and Painappuru looked up and saw Kohi, Pai, and another unknown, female alien floating there. "Drop the kid!" Kohi demanded.

"Hell no!" Painappuru yelled, pressing Taruto against her chest. "We're not letting you guys hurt him!"

"He's of no concern or use to you," Pai said coolly. "Just leave him here with us."

"Why? So you can put him through even more pain?" Yuki Tora spat.

"He's just a kid! Leave him alone!" Kinezumi cried out.

"I don't think so," Pai said, summoning his swords. Kohi's Tekagi-shuko weapons appeared on her hands. The other alien subpoenaed a dark blue scepter.

Painappuru quickly transferred Taruto to Kinezumi's arms. "Hurry and take Taruto to your house and then call Keiichiro. Yuki Tora and I will take care of these guys in the meantime."

"Are you sure?" Kinezumi asked, worriedly. "Shouldn't I stay and help?"

"Taruto needs help," Yuki Tora pressed. "We'll be alright."

"Besides, I've been waiting to have a chance to fight this bitch," Painappuru snarled, referring to Kohi. Kinezumi nodded and rushed off, heading towards her house. Painappuru turned to Yuki Tora. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Mew Mew Painappuru... Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Yuki Tora... Metamorphosis!"

"Oh, we get to fight the Mew Mews!" Kohi cheered. "Get ready for this, Suika," she said to the third alien. "It's actually a lot of fun." She glanced at Painappuru. "Oh, I've been waiting for this..." She dived down towards Painappuru, preparing herself to strike. She swiped at Painappuru's face, but the Mew Mew dodged the attack and managed to kick Kohi in the hip, setting her off balance. While Kohi composed herself again, Painappuru summoned her pan flute and brought it to her lips. But before she was able to play, Kohi slapped it to the ground. "Oh hell no! You're not playing that horrendous music!"

"Stay close to me, Lady Suika," Pai said, as he set his eyes on Yuki Tora. Then he and Suika charged toward her, their weapons glowing with power. Pai sent large gusts of wind in Yuki Tora's direction, but she was able to stand her ground. She unsheathed her sword and jumped into the air, swinging the weapon in the aliens' direction. Suika blocked the sword with her scepter and pushed Yuki Tora back to the ground.

_We need more help!_ Yuki Tora thought desperately. _There's no way we're going to be able to fight all three of them on our own._

__And, as if her thoughts had been heard, she was suddenly surrounded by her teammates, including Kinezumi. She turned to Ichigo, who smiled reassuringly at her.

"Sorry we took so long!" the pink haired girl said. "Keiichiro and Ryou are back at Kinezumi's house taking care of Taruto. He's going to be alright."

"Good," Yuki Tora said, relieved. "Nw, let's kick some alien ass!"

Ichigo laughed and her Strawberry Bell appeared in her hands. "Let's do it!"

With the sudden increase of Mew Mews, the aliens created a Chimera Anima to assist them in the fight. The Chimera was formed from a housecat that happened to be walking by during the fray. What was once a small, cuddly pet, turned into a beast ten times bigger than its original size with glowing red eyes, claws as sharp as daggers, and a terrifying snarl. Mint, Zakuro, and Lettuce broke away from the fight with the aliens to defeat the creature.

"Last time you got a little scratch," Kohi said to Painappuru, who was dodging the woman's Tekagi-shuko attacks. "But this time, I'm going to rip you apart!" Kohi moved quicker than Painappuru had expected and dug the claws of the weapon into Painappuru's stomach. Painappuru's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her lips. Kohi pulled the blades out of Painappuru's flesh, causing the teen to screen out in pain.

Painappuru fell to the ground, covering her wound with her small hands. Her body was shaking slightly and it was quickly becoming harder for her to breathe. She could barely feel the pain from the stab wound, for she had gone into shock and had become numb to everything. She could just barely make out the sounds of Kohi cheering about what she had just done and her friends screaming out her name in alarm. Her vision was beginning to blur, but Painappuru couldn't tell if it was because of her injury or the tears that were filling her eyes. A sense of sleepiness was starting to overwhelm her and Painappuru was more than willing to give in to it. Right before she closed her eyes, she heard one more, piercing scream, and then she was enveloped in darkness.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_MistressRiruko, Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! :D_**

Nine

"SHE'S WHAT?" The Mew Mews flinched at Kisshu's outburst and stared at the green haired teen with sadness as he slammed his fist into the wall. Ichigo walked forward and reached out to him, but he moved away from her. "How could you let this happen? Don't you think she's been through enough?"

"It's not like we just allowed it to happen," Kinezumi argued.

"But you obviously didn't do enough to stop it from happening either," Kisshu spat.

"Kisshu, we did try to help her," Ichigo said, tears filling her eyes. "As soon as we saw that Kohi had hurt her, we all ran over to her, but Kohi, Pai, and the other alien grabbed her and disappeared before we could reach her. There wasn't really anything we could do…"

"I need to go find her. I need to help her. There's no telling what they'll do to her!" Kisshu paced back and forth, frantically trying to come up with a plan to save Painappuru. "I just… I have to figure out where they're hiding out, and then I can go in and save her."

"You can't do it alone," Zakuro stated. "There's three of them and only one of you. Not to mention, if Painappuru is still hurt when you get there, you'll have to fight to save the both of you."

"Zakuro's right," Ryou said with a nod, crossing his arms across his chest. "If you're going back to your planet to fight them, you'll need to take the Mew Mews with you to help you."

"I don't need anyone's help," Kisshu disagreed. "I'm perfectly capable of taking them out on my own." His Sai swords appeared in his hands. "They won't stand a chance."

"Don't be an idiot," a weak voice spoke out. The group turned and saw Taruto sitting up on the couch and staring at Kisshu. "You're stronger when you're angry, that's for sure, but there's no way you'll be able to take on Pai, Kohi, and Suika."

"Suika?" Kisshu repeated. "That's who was with them? _Lady Suika_?"

Taruto nodded. "I saw her before Kohi attacked me. Besides, you know her and Kohi have been close friends for a long time. It makes sense that they would be together."

Kisshu's swords faded away and the alien ran his fingers through his hair. "Shit…" he whispered. "Shit!" He dropped onto the floor and buried his face in his hands with a groan.

"Kisshu?" Ichigo said with concern for her friend.

"Who is Lady Suika, Taru-Taru?" Pudding asked, sitting next to the younger boy.

"Lady Suika is part of a royal family from a planet that neighbors our home planet. The two planets used to be at war with each other, but eventually the conflict ended and the royal family makes sure that the fighting never starts again. Lady Suika is the next in line for the throne in that family. She's an incredibly strong fighter and she's very smart."

"So it would be very dangerous for Kisshu to try to face her alone then?" Lettuce asked.

Taruto nodded. "It would be more than dangerous. It would be foolish and deadly. It would pretty much be suicide," he said bluntly. "That's why he can't go alone."

"And he won't," Kinezumi said. "Painappuru is our best friend. We have to help bring her back too."

"It's not that simple," Kisshu spoke up. He stood up from the floor and began pacing again. "You remember how difficult it was to transport you guys to my planet the last time we were all there. It took a long time to create the potion that allowed you to withstand travel to my planet and you needed the power of two aliens to get you there. We don't have any of the potion _and_ Tart is injured. There's no way I will be able to transport all of you on my own. It's just not possible. Besides, I don't even know where they are hiding. They could be anywhere on my planet _or_ on Suika's."

"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Mint said angrily, throwing her hands into the air.

"What choice do we have though?" Lettuce asked, looking to Ryou and Keiichiro for help.

"We could always come up with more of that potion," Keiichiro offered. "It won't take nearly as long this time because we actually know what we are doing, but it will take time. Hopefully, by that time Taruto will be well enough to travel. In the meantime, Kisshu, you could start searching for where they are hiding out. Keep in contact and update us on your progress."

"That won't be necessary," Ryou interjected. "I installed a tracker in the girls' pendants, so it should be able to tell us where Painappuru is."

"That's even better," Keiichiro replied, turning to his partner. "Ryou, why don't you and Kisshu go over to the café and try and track Painappuru. The girls, Taruto, and I will meet you there shortly."

Ryou glanced over in Kisshu's direction and sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't thrilled about having the alien as a traveling companion, but he didn't really have a say in the matter either. He nodded curtly and motioned for Kisshu to follow him. "The café isn't far. We can walk."

Kisshu reluctantly followed the blonde teen out of Kinezumi's house and they began to make their way to the café. The two walked in silence. Neither of them really wanted to speak to the other anyway. Kisshu knew that Ryou was discontented about him being so close to the Mew Mews. He still held a grudge against Kisshu from when they used to be enemies. However, it didn't bother Kisshu much. He wasn't very fond of Ryou either. In fact, he detested him almost as much as he hated Ichigo's Earth-loving boyfriend. He rolled his eyes at the mere thought of Masaya.

"You know, Painappuru wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you," Ryou said suddenly, bitterness dripping off every word.

Kisshu hated to admit that the blonde was right, but he was. However, Kisshu wasn't going to give Ryou any satisfaction by agreeing with him. "Painappuru and I both understood the risks of pursuing a relationship with each other," he replied coolly.

"Oh really?" Ryou retorted, turning to look at Kisshu. "You both came to the understanding that there was a chance that she would be kidnapped by aliens who pretty much want her dead because one of them is some crazy bitch that thinks she's engaged to you? You had that talk with Painappuru? Because, last time I checked, that's not a normal conversation someone has with the person they want to have a relationship with. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't loving someone make you want to do what is best for that person? If you _really_ loved Painappuru, like you say you do, why aren't you working harder to protect her? Why aren't you doing what's best for her? Maybe what's best for her isn't exactly what makes _you_ happy, but isn't that trivial in the long run? Isn't her well-being a bigger priority than your happiness. I'm telling you, just like I told you before, you aren't meant to be here and you aren't meant to be with Painappuru. She is safer and much better off without you putting her in danger. All of this is your fault and it never would have happened if you had just stayed on your planet and left us all alone, like you were supposed to!"

For once, Kisshu had no witty comeback. He just stared into Ryou's cold blue eyes, speechless. Realizing that he had won the argument, Ryou turned away from Kisshu and started walking towards the café again. Kisshu followed him silently, wallowing in the fact that everything Ryou had said was right and his guilt for what he was putting Painappuru through.

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	10. Chapter 10

_**MistressRiruko, Thank you very much! Kisshu better save her or I might have to... deal with him in a slightly unpleasant way... But... Anyway... Lol. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well! Enjoy this next chapter :)**_

Ten

"She's an ugly one, isn't she?"

"Now, Kohi, there's no need for such words. Be nice to the poor thing."

"Poor thing? She _stole_ my fiancé. She deserves everything she gets."

Painappuru groaned softly and opened her eyes. Her whole body was in pain, and she felt sick to her stomach. She was in a kneeling position with her arms behind her back .When she tried to move, she realized that she was wearing shackles on her wrists and ankles and was chained to the wall behind her.

"Oh look," Kohi's cold voice rang out, "she's awake." Painappuru looked up and saw Kohi and Pai standing in front of her. Suika was kneeling beside her, a wet cloth in her hand.

"Don't mind me," Suika said. "I'm just cleaning up these cuts on your body. We wouldn't want them to get infected." She pressed the cloth to Painappuru's face and began wiping at a fresh cut on her cheek.

Painappuru hissed in pain and felt her small goat ears droop slightly in defeat. "Where am I?" she asked, her throat was scratchy and painful, making her voice low and raspy.

"Does it matter?" Kohi replied. "You're still alive, so you might as well just be grateful and stop asking questions.

"Where are the other Mew Mews?" Painappuru demanded. "What have you done to them?"

"We have no interest in your teammates," Pai said, rolling his eyes. "Unless they get in the way of Kohi's plan, they will all remain unharmed. You, however, are an obstacle that must be _disposed_ of."

"If I find out that you're lying, and anyone of my friends are hurt-"

"You'll do what?" Kohi taunted. "You're chained to a wall. There isn't much you can do but sit there and feel sorry for yourself. Don't try and act tough. We both know that, in this state, you're completely useless." Painappuru dropped her head in defeat. She knew that Kohi was right, and a sense of worthlessness overwhelmed her. "Now, now, don't look so down…" Kohi said, leaning closer to her prisoner. "There is _something _you can do…"

Painappuru's head snapped up again. "What are you talking about?" she inquired, desperate for the hope that she could help her friends.

"You see, I have a small plan that I need to carry out, but there is a chance that the Mew Mews could get in my way, and we don't want that. There's no telling what I will be compelled to do if they should bother me. However, if you would like, I could leave it up to you to decide what is done with them."

"What?" Painappuru cried out.

"That's right…" Kohi said with a wicked grin. "I want you to work for me and keep those Mew Mews out of my way. Mind you, you'll actually have to fight them. There will be no asking them politely to turn and walk the other way. However, you can decide whether or not you go as far as killing them. Because, believe me, if it's up to me, they'll be dead."

"I refuse to turn against my team! I will _never_ work for you!" Painappuru screamed.

Kohi shrugged. "Whatever… Then next time I see the slightest sign of a Mew Mew, they're history…" The alien turned and started to walk away.

"She'll do it, you know," Suika whispered. "If you want to ensure your friends' safety, you need to swallow your pride and agree to work for her."

Painappuru turned and stared at Suika with pleading eyes. But the look on the young woman's face made it clear that there was no other choice. "Fine…" she said in a soft voice as tears started to stream down her face. "Fine, I'll do it! I'll do whatever you want, as long as my friends aren't hurt."

Kohi spun and faced Painappuru again, a triumphant grin plastered on her face. "Excellent," she hissed. "That's what I like to hear." She walked back over the imprisoned Mew and placed her hands on her hips. "Here are the rules then. Whenever I tell you to fight, you fight. You don't hesitate and you don't disobey me. You don't have to kill them, although that would be nice, but you do have to fight them. You are not permitted to tell them that you are only doing this to save them. They are to believe that you have betrayed them and that is the end of it. Do you understand?"

"Yes…" Painappuru replied sadly. "I understand…"

"Excellent!" Kohi cheered, clapping her hands together. "Lady Suika, if you would please follow me to the dressing room, we need to find my new… _employee_ a new outfit."

"I'll be right there, Kohi," Suika responded sweetly. "Let me just finishing cleaning these cuts."

"Don't waste your time on her," Kohi said, rolling her wine-red eyes. "She isn't worth your treatments. Come pick out clothes with me."

"I said that I will come when I am finished. Let me do as I please," Suika said, not giving in to Kohi's pushiness. She rinsed the cloth in a basin of cool water and then pressed it to Painappuru's cheek. Kohi sighed, realizing that she wasn't going to change Suika's mind, and grabbed Pai's hand, taking him with her instead.

"Why are you helping me?" Painappuru asked once Kohi and Pai were gone. "Kohi would much rather let me die here, and yet you're healing me? That doesn't exactly make sense to me."

"How does your stomach feel?" Suika asked, changing the subject.

"My stomach?" Painappuru repeated. She vaguely remembered Kohi attacking her and sinking the blades of her weapon into her stomach. It had all happened so fast that all Painappuru could really recall was the initial pain. "It… It doesn't hurt at all…" she said, shocked. "There's no way I healed that fast…"

"You didn't," Suika said with a gentle laugh. "I applied a salve to your wound that gets rid of pain and helps speed up the healing process. If you're going to work for Kohi, you're going to need your health back quickly."

"Thank you… Lady Suika," Painappuru said, truly grateful for all the alien woman was doing.

Suika smiled. "I think I've cleaned all of your cuts now." She dropped the rag back into the bucket and then lifted the bucket. "If you need anything, or if you can start feeling the pain from your stab wound, just holler for me. I can reapply that salve whenever you need it."

"Alright…" Painappuru said. She was terrified of being left alone, chained to the wall in a darkened room, but she tried not to let on to her fear.

Suika started to walk out of the room, but then stopped. Without turning to look at Painappuru, she said, "The reason I'm helping you is because I require you alive. I have a mission of my own that involves Kisshu, and I believe you will come in handy."

Painappuru groaned. "Don't tell me, you're Kish's fiancée too?" she asked seriously.

Suika giggled. "No… No… I'm certainly _not_ Kisshu's betrothed. But that doesn't make my business with him any less urgent." She was silent for a moment before she started walking out of the room again. "I know it will be hard, but try and get some sleep," she called over her shoulder. "You're going to need it."

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_MistressRiruko, Thank you very much! And I hope that you had a wonderful New Years holiday as well! :)_**

Eleven

"So she _is_ on your planet," Keiichiro said as he stared at the computer screen in front of him. "Well, that's not too bad. At least you should be able to find her easier than if she were on another planet. All we have to do is zero in on where exactly on your planet they are holding her. That's going to take a little time, but we know a rough estimate of her location."

"How do we know she's even alive?" Kisshu asked, worried that Kohi might have done the unthinkable to Painappuru.

"If she were dead, we wouldn't be able to pick up a signal," Ryou said. "So as long as that dot is there on the screen, there's no need to panic. But, since we don't know what Kohi's plans are for Painappuru, we need to hurry and find a way to bring her back home."

"I want to start searching for her now," Kisshu said. "I'll search every single building if I have too, but I don't want to just sit here and wait. I feel so useless."

"You _are_ useless," Ryou snapped, crossing his arms and leaning against the basement wall.

"Enough, Ryou," Keiichiro scolded his friend. "Your childish grudges are what's useless, not Kisshu."

Ryou stared a Keiichiro with disbelief. Keiichiro had always put up with his attitude and had never reprimanded him like that before. The blonde teen didn't know how to react. He scoffed and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of his face. "I'm done here," he said simply and then he left the room.

Keiichiro sighed and continued typing on the computer. Kisshu just felt awkward. He obviously hadn't meant for the two friends to fight, and he was starting to think that he was causing more and more problems every day by staying in Painappuru's life. He ran his fingers through his hunter green hair and sighed as well. He didn't know what he should do…

"Keiichiro!" Ichigo yelled, bursting into the room. "Masha is detecting an alien attack nearby! It's probably Kohi!" Kisshu's ear perked up at the sound of Kohi's name. Hope that Painappuru would be close by rose inside of him.

"Gather the Mew Mews to fight then," Keiichiro replied with a nod. "I will keep working here."

"I'm coming with you," Kisshu insisted, grabbing Ichigo's hand and running up the stairs with her. The other girls were already gathered in the café, having been working when Masha alerted them of the attack. Once Ichigo had rejoined them, they all took out their pendants and transformed.

"Mew Mew Strawberry… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Minto… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Pudding… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Zakuro… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Yuki Tora… Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Kinezumi… Metamorphosis!"

Once they were all ready, they ran out of the café and headed to the location where the aliens were detected. When they arrived, Pai, Suika, and Kohi were standing there, as if they had been waiting for them to show up. Kohi had a malicious grin on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. Suika had her hands on her hips, an innocent smile painted on her face. Pai had one arm wrapped protectively around Suika's waist, his face completely expressionless.

"Well, well…" Kohi said as the Mew Mews and Kisshu walked closer. "It's about time you all got here. It feels as if we've been waiting forever."

"No games, Kohi," Kisshu growled, his dragon swords appearing in his hands. "Where's Painappuru?"

"There's no need for those, darling," Kohi said, gesturing towards the weapons. "I'd be happy to tell you where your little human toy is, but first, you and I need to have a little… talk."

"I'm in no mood to talk. Now tell me where she is!" Kisshu barked.

"Fine." Kohi said, angrily. "If you're not going to do this the easy way, then we'll do it the hard way. But no matter what you choose, I'm going to get what I want." She smirked. "You want to know where your friend is? Well, here she is!"

Kohi, Pai and Suika teleported and reappeared several feet in the air. Standing where the three aliens had been was Painappuru, her face unreadable and her eyes cold. She was wearing an outfit that had clearly been designed on Kisshu's home planet, for it slightly resembled what Kohi was wearing.

"Painappuru!" Yuki Tora and Kinezumi cried, joyful tears springing to their eyes. They ran towards their friend, readying themselves to embrace her. However, before they could reach her, Painappuru held her hands out in front of her, palms facing Kinezumi and Yuki Tora, and suddenly, fire shot out of the leather gloves she was wearing. The blaze raced towards Kinezumi and Yuki Tora, making them fall to the ground in order to dodge the attack.

"Painappuru! What are you doing?" Ichigo cried out. "How could you attack your friends like that? We're here to help you!"

"She's not interest in your help," Kohi said with a laugh. "She's under my employment now. Her goal is to keep you out of my way. So, unless you want to fight your little friend, I suggest you do what I say."

"Kisshu, it looks like you're going to have to go have that talk with Kohi after all," Zakuro said. "We don't want to have to fight Painappuru."

Kisshu sighed, knowing she was right. "Alright, Kohi!" he said, looking up to where she and her comrades were levitating. "I'll talk with you. Let's go."

Kohi grinned. "So simple…" She, Suika, and Pai landed on the ground beside Painappuru.

Kisshu walked forward and joined them, a look of pure detestation on his face. "What do you want, Kohi?" he growled.

Kohi draped her around Kisshu's neck. "Your heart," she purred. "You belong to me and we both know it, Kish. Come back with me so we can marry, just like we planned."

"Not even in your dreams," Kisshu shot back, pushing her away. "I don't love you, Kohi! You're deluded if you think that I will ever marry you!"

Kohi's face harden and a cold look glazed over her eyes. "If you won't come with me by choice, I'll bring you by force. You and I both know what I am capable of. Don't make me prove my power to you."

"You'd have to kill me to make me go anywhere with you," Kisshu hissed.

"I don't believe that for a minute," Kohi said, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I think there's something a little more precious to you than your own life." She looked over at where Painappuru stood. She snapped her fingers and Suika was suddenly standing behind Painappuru, a dagger against the blonde's throat. Painappuru didn't even blink. Her face was emotionless, despite the threat on her life.

"Keep your hands off of her!" Kisshu roared, turning to run towards Painappuru. However, Kohi grabbed him by the arm and held him in place.

"Nobody move, or Suika will slit her ugly little neck." Kohi said angrily. "Now, you listen to me, Kish. I'm trying real damn hard to not lose my temper, but you're making it very difficult. I know what these pathetic humans have done to you, and I plan on making you better. However, I need your cooperation, and if someone needs to get hurt along the way, well… There isn't much I can do about that. I _will_ make you remember our love and everything will be alright again. I promise. That being said, are you going to come with me, or not?"

Kisshu glanced over at Painappuru again. Her vacant face gave no sign at all that she knew what was going on. His chest tightened at the thought of being subject to whatever Kohi had in mind for him, but it hurt even more to think about what Kohi would do to Painappuru if he refused. He turned back to Kohi and nodded sadly. "Alright… I'll go with you… Just don't hurt her, please."

Kohi smiled. "Wonderful!" Suika, Pai, let's get out of here." She turned towards Painappuru. "And you, _dear_, well, you know what to do." She patted the top of Painappuru's head as if she were a dog, and then the four aliens disappeared.

"Painappuru?" Pudding asked nervously, taking a step towards her friend. Painappuru's eyes flashed and flames shot from her leather gloves again. She began running towards the Mew Mews, a look of malice on her face.

"Ichigo…" Zakuro said in a concerned voice. "I don't think we're getting away without a fight…"

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Nilla Mew Mew, I'm happy to hear that you're still reading the story, and that you're enjoying it! :) Your support means everything! I can't wait until you start updating your own stories, which I enjoyed so much. MistressRiruko, Kisshu is kind of slacking in the rescue department, isn't he? He should work on that... Thanks so much for sticking with this story for as long as you have! :)**_

Twelve

Pudding jumped out of the way of Painappuru's attack, but Painappuru quickly fired another shot at the small blonde girl. Pudding dodged the flames yet again and looked back at her friends for help. The other Mew Mews quickly ran to Pudding's side.

"Painappuru, please, stop attacking!" Ichigo cried out. "We're not going to fight you!"

Painappuru didn't respond, choosing to charge at the others instead. She was heading straight for Lettuce, swinging her fist in attempt to hit her. However, Zakuro jumped in front of her friend, blocking the attack with the handle of her weapon. Then, trying to imagine that she was fighting someone other than Painappuru and she slammed her fist into the other girl's stomach. Painappuru's eyes widened as hot, searing pain spread throughout her body. Zakuro had managed to hit her exactly where Kohi had stabbed her the previous day, and the wound still wasn't completely healed. Her knees buckled under the pain and she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach.

"We've got to get her back to Ryou and Keiichiro," Lettuce said, her voice trembling with fear and worry for her fallen friend. "We need to take her back to the café right now!"

Yuki Tora and Kinezumi crouched down beside their friend and attempted to help her up, but, with what little strength she had, Painappuru slapped their hands away. "I'm not defeated yet…" she growled and she struggled to push herself back up.

"Alright, that's enough! I can't let this go on any longer!" The Mew Mews looked up and saw Suika walking towards them. Instantly, everyone made a grab for their weapons, but Suika raised her hands up in the air to show that she meant no harm. "Please… Don't attack. I'm not here to fight. I want to help Painappuru." She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a smile vile full of shimmering silver liquid. "This is a salve that can treat her wound. If you'll give me a minute, I can apply it and stop her pain."

"And why should we trust you?" Mint spat. "You're Kohi's best friend. You could be tricking us for all we know!"

"I know that you have no reason whatsoever to believe that I am telling you the truth, but I implore you, for the sake of your friend's life, let me help her. That wound is severe and if she isn't treated quickly, there's no telling what could happen to her."

Lettuce placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. Her eyes were misty and she was shaking with fright. "Ichigo… What are we going to do…?"

Ichigo sighed and it was obvious to everyone how stressed out she was feeling. "We can't risk Painappuru's life…" she looked up at Suika and nodded. "Alright… If you have something that can heal her, than please do it. But if you have any tricks planned, you will regret it."

Suika smiled. "Thank you…" She rushed over to Painappuru and dropped to her knees. She slowly lifted Painappuru's top, just enough to reveal her midriff, and then pulled the stopper out of the bottle. She tipped the bottle and allowed a few droplets to fall from the bottle and onto Painappuru's injury. Then she pulled out a long strip of fabric, which she wrapped around Painappuru before lowering her shirt again. "There," she said in a soft voice, "that should stop the pain for a few hours." She then stood up again and walked over to Ichigo, holding out the vile. "I want you to have this, in case she needs it again."

"Thank you," Ichigo said in a soft voice, taking the salve from Suika. She stared at the alien woman, unsure of what to think about her. She didn't understand why Suika would help them if she was so close to Kohi. But she wasn't going to be ungrateful. She gave Suika a warm smile.

"I have to get back now, otherwise Kohi will come looking for me and, trust me, if she sees me with all of you, there is going to be hell to pay for all of us. However, I… I need to take Painappuru with me. I promise you that she won't be delivered Kohi, but I need her to help me with something. When I'm finished with her though, I promise that she will come back to you, safe and sound."

"No way! You're not taking Painappuru anywhere without taking us as well!" Kinezumi argued. "Just because you helped her once, doesn't mean we can trust that she won't end up getting hurt again. You're going to have to take all of us, or none of us."

Suika shook her head. "I can't do that. I need Painappuru, and I need her alone. I'm sorry if you don't agree, but that's the way it needs to be."

"And what about Kisshu?" Pudding asked. "Is he going to come back too?"

Suika sighed sadly. "I can't make any promises concerning Kisshu. While I would like to see him return back to his friends, what he decides to do is nothing I can change." She walked back over to Painappuru, scooping the blonde girl up into her arms. "We'll return again soon, I promise," she said. Then she vanished before anyone could stop her.

"No!" Yuki Tora yelled running to where Suika had been standing just seconds ago. "No! We've lost her again!" She spun around and faced the other Mew Mews. "We _have _ to get her back!"

"But how?" Lettuce asked with a shrug. "We don't have a way of getting to the other planet. Taruto is still recovering and Kisshu is with Kohi. There's nothing we _can_ do…"

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	13. Chapter 13

**_MistressRiruko, Hahaha! xD Thank you very much! We're going to have to revive Kisshu soon though! I need him for an upcoming chapter! Nilla Mew Mew, I hope this answers a few questions! (As well as raises new ones ;D) princessmiddleast, Thank you very much! :)_**

Thirteen

Painappuru groaned as she woke up, for her whole body was in pain. She gasped as she realized that she was in an unknown room, lying on a cushy bed surrounded by large pillows and soft blankets. The room was lavishly furnished in adorned in different shades of blue and purple. Painappuru tried sitting up, but the room started spinning so she quickly dropped back down to her pillow. She took a deep breath and then tried sitting up again, this time much slower.

"I really need to stop waking up in random people's rooms," Painappuru joked to herself, trying to shed a more positive light on her situation, but it didn't work. She sighed sadly, wondering why she was so incapable of taking care of herself. She pushed the fluffy comforter off of her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was just about to slide off the mattress when the door creaked open. Painappuru jumped and her head snapped to face the direction of the door.

Suika poked her head in the room and smiled serenely when she saw Painappuru. "You're awake," she said in a soft voice. "That's great." She entered the room and shut the door gently behind her. She was holding a tray that had a teacup and some kind of food that looked like cookies on it. She placed the tray on the end table beside the bed and then sat down beside Painappuru. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Terrible," Painappuru responded, a little wary that she was alone with Suika. She still wasn't sure what to think of the alien woman, for she was clearly loyal to Kohi, but also seemed determined to help Painappuru as well. "What the hell is going on? Where am I?" The last thing Painappuru could remember was agreeing to work for Kohi and Suika's cryptic message about how she had a mission revolved around Kisshu as well. Yet, she felt like she was forgetting something very important that had happened between then and now. It was frustrating, and Painappuru was beginning to feel beyond exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

"You're in my room," Suika said. "If you're not feeling well, then drink this." She grabbed one of the teacups off of the end table and handed to Painappuru. "It should help with any pain you're having."

Painappuru took the teacup and drank the warm liquid inside. It tasted strangely of hot chocolate and peppermint. "Thank you," Painappuru said and she placed the teacup back on the tray. She leaned back against the bed's headboard and one of the large feather pillows.

"You're welcome," Kohi said with a smile. "You won't feel better as quickly as you did when I used the salve on you, but it works just as well. It just takes a little more time." Suika ran her fingers through her blue hair as the two of them fell into silence for a few seconds. Then, she sighed and said, "I guess I should explain what's going on, huh?"

"That _would_ be nice," Painappuru replied, a little more bitterly than she had intended. She was getting tired of being dragged around by Suika, Pai, and Kohi, but she didn't want to sound hostile. She just wanted answers, and she wanted to go home.

Suika flinched slightly at the harsh tone in Painappuru's voice, but nodded and sighed once again. "Where do I even start…? I guess… When Kohi came to me and asked me for help… She told me that she needed help finding the man that she was supposed to marry. She said that he had disappeared after a mission on Earth and she wanted to make sure that he was alive. Kohi and I have been good friends for a long time, so of course I wanted to help her. So, we traveled to your planet with the hopes of finding him. Instead, we found the Mew Mews. Kohi told me that Kisshu was supposed to get rid of the Mew Mews, and she thought that since they were still alive, they must have killed him.

"Kohi's the kind of person to attack and ask questions later. She always has been. So she didn't take the time to find out if her suspicions were right before she jumped into the defensive. She started created Chimera Animas, a skill she had learned when working for Deep Blue. She decided that she would finish the job that Kisshu couldn't and defeat the Mew Mews. For the most part, I was just along for the ride. I stood by her and followed along with any plans she made.

"However, we soon ran into Pai. Kohi had known that Kisshu and Pai were comrades in their mission for Deep Blue and she demanded to know what had happened to Kisshu. Pai told her that Kisshu had teamed up with the Mew Mews, making him a traitor to their people. Pai was furious and tried to make his old friend sound so terrible, but Kohi was just happy that he was alive and she was determined to find him. That's how she ended up running into you guys. Pai had warned her that Kisshu claimed he was in love with a human girl, but she didn't listen to him. She believed that Kisshu had to have been brainwashed or something."

"I guess that pretty much explains Kohi's story," Painappuru with a nod. "But that doesn't explain yours. You told me that you needed me to get to Kisshu as well. But what could you possibly want with Kisshu? You can't be in love with him, can you? I mean, not if your best friend is in love with him…"

Suika gave the blonde girl a sad smile. "I already told you, I'm not in love with Kisshu. I… I kind of already _have_ my heart set on someone…" She let out a nervous giggle, twirling a strand of hair nervously. "But, you're right… I _do _need you. I have to speak to Kisshu about something very important, but I was afraid that I wouldn't get the chance to talk to him unless I had you. I never expected things to get so out of control. I didn't think Kohi would go as far as she did, hurting you and everything… I wouldn't have helped her if I had known… And, for that, I apologize… I guess I was kind of hoping that Kohi would just give up when she realized that Kisshu really wasn't in love with her anymore, and that would be the end of it. I severely underestimated her and it's caused Kisshu and his loved ones a lot of pain…"

"I understand where you're coming from and I accept your apology," Painappuru said, just as nervous as the alien girl, "but you can't keep avoiding my question. Why do you want to see Kisshu so badly? If you're not in love with him, what do you need to talk to him about that is so important?"

Suika sighed and tears began to fill her onyx colored eyes. She grabbed Painappuru's hands for comfort. She bowed her head, unable to look her directly in the face. "I need to know about his past," she said in a soft, watery voice. "I don't know if he'll tell me what I need to know, but I need to ask anyway."

Painappuru gave Suika's hand a gentle squeeze. She knew that Kisshu wasn't one to talk about his past easily. The topic had been brought up when she and him were spending some alone time together, and he had gotten a little unsettled. He told her that he wasn't exactly comfortable with the topic and asked that she didn't bring it up again. She promised she wouldn't, only because she knew what it was like to not want to talk about one's past. She too had plenty of secrets she wasn't ready to share. "I can tell you right now that he's probably not going to be very willing to talk about that."

Suika nodded and wiped her eyes. "I know that," she said. "But I need to ask anyway. I need to know…" she took a deep breath and met Painappuru's eyes. "I need to know if he's my brother…"

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


	14. Chapter 14

**_MY PRECIOUS READERS! It has been forever since I updated this story. And for that, I sincerely apologize. I have been crazy busy, and the inspiration for a lot of my stories seems to have vanished. But I really want to thank everyone who is sticking with this story. And I wanna give a huuuge thank you to **_MistressRiruko. Your most recent review just really made me want to get back to work on this. Many thanks go to everyone who has read and reviewed. You guys are awesome!_**_**

Fourteen

Pai paced back and forth impatiently, his arms crossed over his chest. He let out a frustrated sigh and glanced out the window. It was getting late and there had still been no sign of Suika. She had insisted that there was something she needed to take care of before she rejoined them for the wedding, but Pai hadn't expected her to be gone for so long. He was beginning to worry that something had happened to her. He ran his fingers through his short purple hair and groaned.

"Damn her…" he growled to himself. He had insisted on coming with her to ensure her safety, but she refused and disappeared before he could convince her otherwise. Now she was off somewhere without any protection whatsoever. If something happened to her, he wouldn't forgive himself. Just the thought made his stomach flip uncomfortably.

He hated feeling like this. Hell, he hated feeling _anything_. But, for some reason he couldn't figure out, he was constantly concerned for Suika's wellbeing. He tried to tell himself that it was simply because he wanted to keep her safe and fulfill his duty as her warrior. But he was smarter than that. What he was feeling was much stronger than the simple need to protect the royal teen. He just wanted to stand by her and feel warmed by their closeness. He wanted to look at her and drink in her beauty. He wanted to hear her sugary voice, letting it ring like music in his ears. He wanted to touch her face and stare into her vibrant eyes. And, if he was being completely honest with himself, it scared him.

Pai wasn't used to feeling like this. He was used to being alone, worrying only about himself. He only worked towards something if it was going to benefit him in the end. He never cared about other people's problems. He had been raised not to. The only other time he had ever really let himself become concerned for someone else was when he was working with Kisshu and Taruto for Deep Blue. And, in the end, those two had betrayed him. They had left him to live on Earth and befriended those wretched Mew Mews. He had been left alone, yet again. And he was determined to keep it that way. Until he met Suika, of course.

Kohi had introduced the two of them when she came to him to for assistance in finding Kisshu. It had surprised Pai that someone from a family such as Suika's was taking part in this crazy scheme, but he simply shrugged it off. They didn't speak much at first, since she was always by Kohi's side and, truthfully, Pai didn't care for Kohi that much. But then, Kohi had left the two of them alone for a few days and Suika started a conversation. Pai was surprisingly interested in the things she had to speak about, and started taking a liking to her. However, Kohi had decided that once she found Kisshu, she didn't want Pai's help anymore and had asked him to leave. The only reason he was still around was because Suika had asked him to stay, and Kohi wasn't about to argue with her.

The two of them weren't in a relationship, exactly. They didn't get to spend enough time alone for that to even be a possibility right now. But Pai planned to fix that as soon as this damn wedding business was over and done with. He had taken an oath to be Suika's guard, which gave him a reason to be closer to her as much as he'd like. He simply had to use the excuse that he was watching over her.

Pai sighed and rubbed his face lightly. He looked out at the sky to determine the time based on the sun's position. Realizing how late it had become, he let out another sigh and made his way out of the room. He would have much rather been spending his time figuring out where Suika is and going out to find her, but that wasn't an option right now. He made his way down a long hallway until he found the door he was looking for. He entered and couldn't help but smirk when he noticed Kisshu sitting with his head in his hands, looking completely miserable.

Pai had always thought that he was far too intelligent to hold a grudge against someone. He had always seen grudges as such a petty thing. But looking at Kisshu, dressed in wedding apparel with a look of complete defeat on his face, he realized that he _had_ been holding a grudge against the green haired teen. He was still angry with him for choosing to live on Earth. For "falling in love" with that damned blonde Mew Mew. He deserved to be miserable. He had this coming.

"What do you want?" Kisshu groaned, looking up at him. His golden eyes were burning with revulsion. "What could _you_ possibly want in here?"

Pai's smirk instantly faded and he narrowed his eyes. Who did Kisshu think he was, talking to him like that? Crossing his arms over his chest, he scoffed. "Please, do not think I am paying you a friendly visit of some sort," he said bitterly. "I am merely here to escort you to the room where you are to be wed. So, stifle the hostility and follow me."

Kisshu opened his mouth to snap back, but then decided against it and closed his mouth again. He stood up with a dejected sigh and walked to Pai's side. "Let's just get this over with," he spat, following the taller alien out of the room and towards the wedding hall. Neither of them spoke as they walked. There wasn't much for them to talk about, after all. They hated each other. Pai despised Kisshu for leaving. Kisshu loathed Pai for nearly killing Painappuru and assisting Kohi in this ridiculous plan. They simply walked side by side in silence, staring straight ahead and trying to keep their minds focused on something else.

They both paused just outside the wide doors of the wedding hall. Pai already knew that Kohi was inside waiting for Kisshu, but something stopped him from pushing the groom into the hall. Kisshu stood there, his shoulders slumped and eyes on the ground. "You might want to improve your posture a bit," Pai suggested, hand going to rest on the doorknob. "And a smile wouldn't kill you. You _are_ about to be married after all."

"Don't remind me," Kisshu grumbled, straightening up a bit. He let out a long sigh, realizing that there was no way out of this one. He was going to marry Kohi and live a miserable life with her until he died. He would never see Painappuru or the other Mew Mews ever again. He would most likely never see Taruto either. There were so many things he was going to lose by going through with this. Little things suddenly mattered more than he ever thought they would. The feeling of soft grass tickling his bare feet, sleeping in until noon on weekends, the shade of the tree that he and Painappuru always had lunch under, and even the cramps he tended to get in his back from sitting at his desk in school for so long. All of those things suddenly seemed so precious to him, and he wasn't ready to let them go.

Pai didn't even ask if Kisshu was ready. He just pushed the doors open, revealing the groom to those inside the hall. Kohi was standing at the front of the room, dressed in a bright purple gown. The skirt of the dress consisted of several layers of lace, and for a moment, Pai let himself wonder how Kohi managed to move in such an outfit. But, what surprised Pai the most, was who was standing beside the bride. Suika was there, dressed in a simple, short, white frock, a forced smile painted across her face. He had no idea when she had arrived, but he was relieved to see that she was safe. An Oath Official stood on the other side of Kohi, waiting for Kisshu to take his spot in front of the room as well. Besides them, the hall was empty. Kohi hadn't invited anyone to watch the ceremony take place. Not that Pai minded. He hated being in front of a crowd, even if he didn't have to do anything but stand there.

Seeing he had no other options, Kisshu made his way into the hall and over to Kohi. He glanced, for just a second, at Suika. She gave him a sympathetic smile before adverting her eyes. He sighed and pushed forward, finally coming to stand in front of Kohi, Pai standing beside him. His bride beamed at him, her eyes wide and excited. It took everything in him to refrain from summoning his dragon swords and stabbing her in the heart; he was that livid. How could she think this was alright? What had happened to her that made her this twisted?

"Expose your right arm, please," the Oath Official instructed in a deep, booming voice, causing Kisshu to jump the slightest bit. Kisshu pushed up the sleeve of his outfit up past his elbow, baring his arm. Kohi did the same, and they both held out their arms before the Official . "Marriage is a commitment that brings two people together, bounding them to each other with love for as long as they both shall live. You have both called upon me to unite the two of you today, and so, we begin this wedding ceremony." The Official reached into his pocket and pulled out a long dagger. "Starting today, Kisshu and Kohi will live as one, caring for each other and doing everything they can to make the other happy." He grabbed Kisshu's arm and placed the tip of the blade at Kisshu's wrist. "Kisshu, this responsibility is like none other. You must cherish your wife and treat her like the queen she is. Love her unconditionally and work hard to make her happy." With that, he sunk the blade into Kisshu's skin and dragged it down his arm, making a long cut from wrist to elbow.

Kisshu hissed in discomfort, but didn't pull away. When the blade left his arm, he gently bit down on his bottom lip, fiery pain shooting up through his entire arm. "I understand and accept these responsibilities," he said in a soft, shaky voice.

"The hell you do!"

_**I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!**_

**_Mew Painappuru_**


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